Describes research that was conducted to determine the search state patterns through which users retrieve information in hypertext systems. Use of the Markov model to describe users' search behavior is discussed, and search patterns of different user groups were studied by comparing transition probability matrices. (Contains 25 references.) (LRW)

Reports on a transaction log study of the online catalog at North Carolina State University-Raleigh that was conducted to determine users' searching behavior and the problems they experienced. Failure rates for various searches are examined, usage patterns are described, and results are compared with data from earlier studies. (seven references)…

Presents an analysis of questionnaire-generated data on the administration of international governmental organization (IGO) depository library collections. Topics discussed include restrictions to public access, separate or integrated collections, classification practices, and usage by categories of users. A directory of IGO depository collections…

Reports on a study that examined transaction logs of end users of PaperChase searching UM-MEDLINE at the University of Michigan to describe the use of various search features and to determine the effects of search experience on the use of search features. Boolean operators are discussed, and further studies are suggested. (23 references) (LRW)

A survey of 5000 12-year olds in 23 countries around the world was conducted to analyze the impact of media violence on children's lives in different cultures. This article presents a summary of findings to be published in full. Highlights media use, individual anxiety and role models, violence in the actual environment, and the relationship…

Analysis of questionnaires/focus-group-interviews with students 16-19 years old to examine the nature and extent of students' domestic use of computers and the relationship with their use of information technology (IT) in schools/colleges. Suggest students with home computers have more positive attitudes toward computers but make little use of…

Discussion of shrinking library budgets and increasing science journal prices focuses on methods used at Rutgers University (New Jersey) to help determine which journals could be eliminated. Results of a survey of faculty preferences, a journal reshelving study, and ranked journal lists based on faculty publications and citations are compared and…

Examines how a high-tech service-support organization shifted from print to online documentation. Illustrates trade-offs critical to productivity and publications management that can be involved in moving to online documentation in both CD-ROM and Web media. Shows that planning, skepticism about tools, and usability assessment can be critical to…

This study investigated ways four elementary teachers learned to use technology in a way sensitive to cultural differences of their students. The most significant finding was that as teachers started using three to five computers in their classrooms, they shifted from large-group to small-group instruction. Discusses past research on cultural…

This investigation at California State University, Chico seeks to identify those variables that prove indicative of the demand for monographs by subject. Analyzes interrelationships among circulation, expenditure, and enrollment by subject and develops a model for allocating subject funding based on circulation statistics. (Author/LRW)

Results of a survey of 611 undergraduate students at a large northeastern university on their knowledge, attitudes, and usage of computer-mediated communication indicated there are many who are still unfamiliar with major components of computers and the Internet. Many subjects chose to visit controversial Web sites; deception is common when…

Explores the differences between the level of adoption of information resources by selected faculty and their responses to these technologies, the impact of library technology on the way they use the library for research and teaching, and their interpretation of the role the library plays in this period of transition and change. Contains 41…

Investigates differences between Whites and African Americans in the United States with respect to computer access and Web use, in order to examine whether observed race differences in access/use can be accounted for by differences in income and education, how access affects use, and when race matters in access. (AEF)

Describes a study conducted at the Utah State University library that investigated electronic database awareness and use by 856 administrators and teaching faculty. Responses to a survey revealed the need for greater publicity regarding new electronic acquisitions, training opportunities, and methods of remote access. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study that surveyed undergraduates who were considered at high risk for pathological Internet use. Discusses questions that assessed evidence that Internet use was causing academic, work, or interpersonal problems, distress, tolerance symptoms, and mood-alterations; addresses gender issues; and reports results from the UCLA Loneliness…